Family remembers Nichole “CoCo” Cable, warns of social media dangers

Kristine Wiley, mother of Nichole Cable, holds a picture of her daughter and hugs a pillow that belonged to Nichole at the family's Glenburn home on Tuesday.

Carter F. McCall | BDN | BDN

Carter F. McCall | BDN | BDN

Nichole Cable's mother Kristine Wiley (right) hugs a pillow that belonged to her daughter while being consoled by her husband, Jason Wiley, in their Glenburn home on Tuesday,.

Carter F. McCall | BDN | BDN

Carter F. McCall | BDN | BDN

Jason Wiley (left) sits with Kristine Wiley, mother of Nichole Cable, as she holds a picture of her daughter and a pillow that belonged to Nichole after learning her daughter's body had been found in Old Town on Tuesday.

Carter F. McCall | BDN | BDN

Carter F. McCall | BDN | BDN

Community members left messages at a memorial dedicated to Nichole Cable near her home in Glenburn on Tuesday.

Carter F. McCall | BDN | BDN

Carter F. McCall | BDN | BDN

Community members left messages at a memorial dedicated to Nichole Cable near her home in Glenburn on Tuesday.

GLENBURN, Maine — Clutching a panda bear pillow close to her chest because it smelled like her daughter, Kristine Wiley said parents need to be vigilant about their children’s online activity.

“If this saves somebody else’s child, then this won’t have happened for nothing,” Wiley said through her tears Tuesday afternoon in her Spruce Lane home.

Investigators have not released details about what, if any, relationship Cable had with her accused killer, but family members say social media played a role in the events that led to her death. They said they could not provide details of the investigation, but that more information would be released in the coming days. Cable’s biological father declined to comment Tuesday.

Tyler-Ann Harris, a friend of Cable’s who attended a police press conference Tuesday, said Dube and Cable had been “hanging out” for the past 1½ to two months.

Cable’s stepfather, Jason Wiley, said parents should have access to their young children’s social media accounts and text messages, “no matter how upset kids get with the invasion of privacy,” because it could save a life.

Family members called Nichole “CoCo.”

She loved upbeat music, things she could dance to. She loved her family and was close to three half sisters, Annabelle, 7; Emma, 5 and Julia, 2. She has a 19-year-old full brother named David and stepbrother named Michael.

While she talked about her daughter, Kristine Wiley clutched a picture of a wide-smiling Nichole.

“She’s a wonderful big sister, and I know she’s going to be watching them and taking care of them,” Wiley said.

The only times she stopped crying were when she told stories about CoCo.

Nichole Cable was always glued to her cellphone, texting friends from school, her mother said. Often, family members would find their cellphone chargers missing because Cable had moved them to a different part of the house so she could charge her own.

Two years ago, the family took a two-week camping trip to Moosehead Lake. Cable, who wasn’t an outdoors person, struggled with the separation from technology.

“It was so hard on her because she couldn’t text because there wasn’t any reception,” Wiley said.

“She was so loving, she was so trusting,” she said. “There’s no evil in the world when you’re 15.”

Harris, a friend of Cable’s from Old Town High School, said her friend was a fighter.

“She had attitude — she was a teenage girl,” Harris said.

The 16-year-old sophomore said Cable became her friend at the beginning of the school year and had lived with her for a short time.

She said Cable spent the night at her house on the Friday before she went missing.

“She was really happy even though she went through a lot of stuff in her life,” Harris said, not giving specifics about Cable’s hardships. “She was just happy all the time.”